Air Freshener

ABSTRACT

An air freshener of the invention includes a slideable box molded from thermoplastics, a holding jacket, a fixing device, and an essence box made of plastics and filled with liquid essence. The air freshener of the invention can be used inside a car or a room, and is capable of adjusting the release rate of the diffused essence gas.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an air freshener.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The prior art air fresheners have various disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to provide an air freshener whichcan overcome the disadvantages existing in the prior art air fresheners.

The air freshener according to the invention comprises: a slideable boxmolded from thermoplastics; a holding jacket; a fixing device (a fixingclip or a suction cup); and an essence (or called as “perfume”) box madeof plastics and filled with liquid essence, wherein the slideable box isin a shape of a hexahedron having approximately a rectangular or squarecross-section, and one side (wall) of the slideable box is opened and issized to just allow the essence box to pass-through. A window whichallows essence gas (or called as “perfume vapor”) to be released isformed on the back side of the slideable box. The essence box comprisesa box body which is suction molded from transparent plastic sheetmaterials, a semi-permeable film which is impermeable to the liquidessence and is permeable to the essence gas, and an aluminumfoil-plastic composite film which prevents the essence gas from beingdiffused from the essence box (30, 35, 38) before use

According to the air freshener of the invention, the holding jacket isin a shape of a hexahedron having approximately a rectangular or squarecross-section. A pair of opposite sides of the hexahedron are opened andthus the hexahedron forms a jacket. The holding jacket just surrounds(envelopes or encloses) the slideable box. A clipping groove forclipping the fixing device is provided on the back side of the holdingjacket.

According to the air freshener of the invention, the essence box isshaped and sized to be just embeddable in the slideable box. When theholding jacket surrounds the slideable box, the slideable box can slideback and forth in the holding jacket in order to change the size of thewindow which allows the essence gas to be released, so that the releasearea of the essence gas is increased or reduced, and the release rate ofthe essence gas can be adjusted accordingly.

According to the air freshener of the invention, the fixing device is afixing clip which can be clipped on a grille of an air outlet of an airconditioner in a vehicle.

According to the air freshener of the invention, the fixing device is asuction cup which has a vacuum suction cup.

According to the air freshener of the invention, the suction cup is madefrom soft plastics (typically polyvinyl chloride); the box body of theessence box is made of a transparent sheet material (typicallypolyester); and the slideable box, the holding jacket and the fixingclip are made from polypropylene.

The air freshener of the invention can be used inside a car or a room tofreshen the air therein, and can adjust the release rate of the diffusedessence gas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 (FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, 1 c and 1 d) are schematic views of theslideable box of the air freshener of the present invention.

FIG. 2 (FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c) are schematic views of the holdingjacket of the air freshener of the invention.

FIG. 3 (FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c) are schematic views of the fixing device(a fixing clip and a suction cup) of the air freshener of the invention.

FIG. 4 (FIGS. 4 a and 4 b) are schematic views of the essence box of theair freshener of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the essence box of the air freshener ofthe invention, wherein the essence box is filled with liquid essence andsealed with a semi-permeable plastic film.

FIG. 6 (FIGS. 6 a and 6 b) are schematic views of the essence box of theair freshener of the invention, wherein an aluminum foil-plasticcomposite film is additionally attached (laminated) to thesemi-permeable seal film and the aluminum foil-plastic composite film ispartially torn off.

FIG. 7 (FIGS. 7 a, 7 b and 7 c) are schematic views of the structure ofthe air freshener of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 a, 1 b, 1 c and 1 d are schematic views of the slideable box 1of the air freshener of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1 a is afront view, FIG. 1 b is a side view along Line C-C of FIG. 1 a, and FIG.1 c is a back view.

The slideable box 1 is in a shape of a hexahedron having approximately arectangular or square cross-section. The slideable box 1 may be in ashape other than the above shape. As seen from FIG. 1 b, the slideablebox is sealed at its left end. As seen from FIG. 1 d, the slideable boxis opened at its right end and thus has a space 7 for inserting anessence box. The edge 31 of the essence box is inserted into a groove 4formed on the slideable box, so that the essence box and the slideablebox can be engaged together A number of viewports 2 of different orequal sizes are formed on the front side of the slideable box 1 (FIG. 1a), so that a consumer can see the liquid essence in the essence box. Awindow 5 allowing the essence gas to be released and a plurality ofprojections 3 (refer to FIG. 1 c) defining the sliding range of theslideable box 1 within the holding jacket 16 described later are formedon the back side of the slideable box 1 (FIG. 1 c). U-shaped slots 6 areformed around two projections 3 which are positioned close to the leftend of the slideable box (FIG. 1 c). When inserting the slideable box 1into the holding jacket 16, the two projections 3 are pressed down sothat the slideable box 1 can be inserted. When the slideable box isinserted into the holding jacket 16 completely, the two projections 3return to their original position by means of elasticity, and theslideable box is confined to slide back and forth between theprojections 3 positioned close to both ends of the slideable box andcan't drop off.

FIGS. 2 a, 2 b and 2 c are schematic views of the holding jacket 16 ofthe air freshener of the invention, wherein FIG. 2 a is a front view,FIG. 2 b is a side view, and FIG. 2 c is a back view. The holding jacket16 is in a shape of a hollowed hexahedron having approximately arectangular or square cross-section. The holding jacket 16 may be in ashape other than the above shape. A pair of opposite sides of thehexahedron are opened so that the hexahedron becomes a jacket. Theholding jacket 16 may just surround the slideable box 1 so that they areclosely fitted together. A clipping groove 18 for clipping a fixingdevice described later is provided on the back side of the holdingjacket 16.

FIGS. 3 a, 3 b and 3 c are schematic views of the fixing device (afixing clip 22 and a suction cup 23) of the air freshener of theinvention, wherein FIG. 3 a shows the fixing clip 22, FIG. 3 b shows thesuction cup 23, and FIG. 3 c is a back view of the suction cup 23 alongLine R-R of FIG. 3 b.

In FIG. 3 a, a clip head 24 of the fixing clip 22 can engage into theclipping groove 18 of the holding jacket 16, and a pair of the clip arms25 of the fixing clip 22 may be clipped on a grille of an air outlet ofan air conditioner of a vehicle so that the air freshener of theinvention is fixed in place and emits essence gas. The emitted essencegas can be diffused with the help of wind blown from the air outlet ofthe air conditioner.

In FIG. 3 b, the suction cup 23 is made of a soft plastic material(typically polyvinyl chloride). One end of the suction cup 23 is formedas a clip head 24, and the other end of the suction cup 23 is formed asa “vacuum suction cup” 26. The clip head 24 can be engaged into theclipping groove 18 of the holding jacket 16, and the “vacuum suctioncup” 26 enables the air freshener of the present invention to be fixedon a smooth surface such as a surface of window glass inside a vehicle,or any smooth surfaces inside a room or a vehicle.

The above-mentioned components are typically molded from thermoplasticsby injection molding. The suction cup 23 is typically made of a softplastic material (such as polyvinyl chloride); other components aretypically made of hard plastic materials such as ABS, polystyrene,polypropylene, nylon and polyester etc.

FIGS. 4 a to 6 b are views showing the structure of essence boxes 30, 35and 38.

As seen from FIGS. 4 a and 4 b, the box body 29 of the essence box 30(35, 38) is typically formed by “bubble cap” type suction molding from atransparent plastic sheet material such as polyester or polyvinylchloride. Preferably, the polyester sheet material is used because thismaterial doesn't react with the chemical substance of the essence Thetransparent material is used so that a consumer can view the liquidessence inside the essence box. The box body 29 is in a shape of ahexahedron having approximately a rectangular or square cross-section.The box body 29 may be in a shape other than the above shape. The boxbody 29 has an opened side. An edge 31 in the same plane is formed alongthe periphery of the opened side.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the essence box 30 of the invention(essence box 35 in FIG. 6 a and essence box 38 in FIG. 6 b) filled witha liquid essence therein and sealed with a plastic film. In FIG. 5, thebox body 29 of the essence box 30 (35, 38) is sealed by a layer ofextremely-thin semi-permeable film 32 attached along the plane of theedge 31 so as to form a closed space in which liquid essence 33 isfilled inside the box body 29. The semi-permeable film 32 has acharacteristic of preventing the liquid essence 33 from leaking from thebox body 29 but allowing the volatilized perfume vapor molecules to emitfrom the box body 29 so that scent of the essence gas can be smeltoutside the box body 29. The semi-permeable film 32 may be a film withthickness of about several micrometers, but other films which arethinner or thicker may also be used as the semi-permeable film 32.

FIG. 6 shows the essence box 30 (35, 38) of the air freshener in theready-to-use state. Since it usually takes a quite long time for theessence box 30 (35, 38) from the factory to the consumer, a layer ofairtight aluminum foil-plastic composite film 36 and 37 (as shown inFIG. 6 a) is additionally attached to the semi-permeable film 32 inorder to prevent the essence from volatilizing and escaping from theessence box before use. The aluminum foil-plastic composite film 36 and37 is also attached to the semi-permeable film 32 along the edge 31 ofthe box body 29. The condition of performing sealing and attaching iscontrolled so that the semi-permeable film 32 is attached to the edge 31of the box body 29 firmly so as not to be torn off, while the aluminumfoil-plastic composite film 36 and 37 is attached to the semi-permeablefilm 32 moderately so as to be easily torn off from the semi-permeablefilm 32 without damaging the sealing between the semi-permeable film 32and the edge 31 of the box body 29. FIG. 6 b shows the state in whichthe aluminum foil-plastic composite film 36 and 37 is partially tornoff.

The essence used in the essence box 30 (35, 38) of the air freshener ofthe present invention may be a perfume formulated with various aromamaterials in accordance with a formula in a factory or a perfumeobtained by dilution with solvent (typically ethanol or isopropylalcohol, or other organic solvents) according to a certain proportion. Adye can also be added into the essence or perfume in the essence box 30(35, 38) so that the essence or perfume have different colors which canbe used to substantially indicate the types of the fragrance (forexample, the fragrance of strawberry is indicated by red, the fragranceof rose is indicated by pink, the fragrance of lavender is indicated bypurple and the fragrance of lemon is indicated by yellow etc). Inaddition, a trademark or aesthetic patterns may be formed or printed onexternal surfaces of the slideable box 1, the holding jacket 16 or theessence box 30 (35, 38).

FIGS. 7 a, 7 b and 7 c are schematic views of the structure of the airfreshener of the invention FIG. 7 a shows that the essence box 30 (35,38) filled with the liquid essence 33 and sealed with the semi-permeablefilm 32 is inserted into the space 7 of the slideable box 1 from theopened end of the slideable box 1. At this time, the edge 31 of theessence box 30 (35, 38) is just engaged in the groove 4 of the slideablebox 1, so that the whole essence box 30 (35, 38) is inserted closelyinto the space 7 of the slideable box 1.

FIG. 7 b shows that the holding jacket 16 surrounds the slideable box 1.When inserting the slideable box 1, the two projections 3 which arepositioned close to the left end (on the back side) of the slideable box1 are pressed down so that the slideable box 1 can be inserted into theholding jacket 16. When the slideable box 1 is inserted into the holdingjacket 16 completely, the two projections returns to their originalposition by resilience, and the slideable box is confined to slide backand forth between the projections 3 positioned close to both ends of theslideable box 1, so that the slideable box can't drop off. The clip head24 of the fixing clip 22 or the suction cup 23 is then engaged into theclipping groove 18 of the holding jacket 16. The pair of clip arms 25 ofthe fixing clip 22 may be clipped on a grille of an air outlet of an airconditioner of a vehicle so that the air freshener of the invention isfixed in place and emits essence gas. The emitted essence gas can bediffused with the help of wind blown from the air outlet of the airconditioner. The suction cup 23 may be fixed on a smooth surface such asa surface of window glass inside a vehicle, or any smooth surface insidea room or vehicle. The figure shows the circumstance in which theholding jacket 16 partially covers the window 5 which allows the essencegas to be released. The window 5 is opened to a maximum and the releaserate of essence gas is at its maximum when the holding jacket 16 ispushed and slid to the leftmost side and abuts against the left twoprojections 3. On the contrary, the window 5 is covered completely andthe release rate of the essence gas is at its minimum when the holdingjacket 16 is pushed and slid to the rightmost side and abuts against theright two projections 3.

FIG. 7 c is a schematic view of the assembled air freshener of theinvention.

It can be seen from the above description that the air freshener of theinvention is characterized in that the essence box 30 (35, 38) is placedinto the slideable box 1 which is fitted closely with the essence box,and then the slideable box 1 is inserted into the holding jacket 16which is closely fitted with the slideable box. A semi-permeable film 32for allowing the essence gas to be released is attached on the essencebox 30. The area of the portion of the semi-permeable film 32 exposedfrom the holding jacket 16 can be adjusted by sliding the slideable box1 back and forth in the holding jacket 16, thereby to adjust the releaserate of the essence gas.

The air freshener of the invention can be embodied in many alternativemanners. The object of the invention can be achieved as long as theshape of the box body 29 of the essence box 30 (35, 38) matches theshape of the slideable box 1 so that the essence box 30 (35, 38) can beembedded in the slideable box 1 (shown in FIG. 7 a), and the holdingjacket 16 is shaped to surround the slideable box 1 in a closely fittingmanner (shown in FIG. 7 a). For this reason, with regard to the essencebox 30 (35, 38), the edge 31 of the open side thereof must be in thesame plane so that the semi-permeable film 32 can be hermeticallyattached to the essence box 30 (35, 38). The shapes of other parts ofthe essence box 30 (35, 38) may be changed, as long as the slideable box1 having the essence box therein can slide in the holding jacket 16which is closely fitted with the slideable box 1. In addition,trademarks or aesthetic patterns may be formed or printed on externalsurfaces of the slideable box 1, the holding jacket 16 or the essencebox 30 (35, 38).

1-7. (canceled)
 8. An air freshener, comprising: a slideable box moldedfrom thermoplastics; a holding jacket; a fixing device; and an essencebox made of plastics and filled with liquid essence, wherein theslideable box is in a shape of a hexahedron having approximately arectangle or square cross-section, and one side of the slideable box isopened and is sized to just allow the essence box to pass-through, awindow which allows essence gas to be released is formed on the backside of the slideable box, and wherein the essence box comprises a boxbody which is suction molded from transparent plastic sheet materials, asemi-permeable film which is impermeable to the liquid essence andpermeable to the essence gas, and an aluminum foil-plastic compositefilm which prevents the essence gas from being diffused from the essencebox before use.
 9. The air freshener of claim 8, wherein the holdingjacket is in a shape of a hollowed hexahedron having approximately arectangle or square cross-section, and a pair of opposite sides of thehexahedron are opened and thus the hexahedron forms a jacket, theholding jacket just surrounds the slidable box, and a clipping groovefor clipping the fixing device is provided on the back side of theholding jacket.
 10. The air freshener of claim 8, wherein the essencebox is shaped and sized to be just embeddable in the slideable box, andwhen the holding jacket surrounds the slideable box, the slideable boxcan slide back and forth in the holding jacket in order to change thesize of the window which allows the essence gas to be released, so thata release area of the essence gas is increased or reduced, and therelease rate of the essence gas can be adjusted accordingly.
 11. The airfreshener of claim 8, wherein the fixing device is a fixing clip whichcan be clipped on a grille of an air outlet of an air conditioner in avehicle.
 12. The air freshener of claim 8, wherein the fixing device isa suction cup which has a vacuum suction cup.
 13. The air freshener ofclaim 11, wherein the box body of the essence box is made of atransparent polyester sheet material, and the slideable box, the holdingjacket and the fixing clip are made from polypropylene.
 14. The airfreshener of claim 12, wherein the suction cup is made from softpolyvinyl chloride, the box body of the essence box is made of atransparent polyester sheet material, and the slideable box and theholding jacket are made from polypropylene.
 15. The air freshener ofclaim 9, wherein the fixing device is a fixing clip which can be clippedon a grille of an air outlet of an air conditioner in a vehicle.
 16. Theair freshener of claim 10, wherein the fixing device is a fixing clipwhich can be clipped on a grille of an air outlet of an air conditionerin a vehicle.
 17. The air freshener of claim 9, wherein the fixingdevice is a suction cup which has a vacuum suction cup.
 18. The airfreshener of claim 10, wherein the fixing device is a suction cup whichhas a vacuum suction cup.
 19. The air freshener of claim 9, wherein thebox body of the essence box is made of a transparent polyester sheetmaterial, and the slideable box, the holding jacket and the fixing clipare made from polypropylene.
 20. The air freshener of claim 10, whereinthe box body of the essence box is made of a transparent polyester sheetmaterial, and the slideable box, the holding jacket and the fixing clipare made from polypropylene.
 21. The air freshener of claim 17, whereinthe suction cup is made from soft polyvinyl chloride, the box body ofthe essence box is made of a transparent polyester sheet material, andthe slideable box and the holding jacket are made from polypropylene.22. The air freshener of claim 18, wherein the suction cup is made fromsoft polyvinyl chloride, the box body of the essence box is made of atransparent polyester sheet material, and the slideable box and theholding jacket are made from polypropylene.